An Open Letter To The EMDR Trauma Therapist Who Fired Me For Doing Sex Work

Dear Dr. EMDR Trauma Therapist,

Thank you for sending the reference suggestions for PTSD support. I’m sad to not be starting EMDR, and I’m glad to have discovered before beginning that this was not a safe fit for me to be vulnerable. Regarding the “ethical practice” reasoning for your firing me as patient, my understanding is that it is then also your ethical practice to connect me with another provider. In this case, ending contact after this message is what feels most supportive for my health.

I wrote this message directly after our final session. I decided to wait to send until I could ensure I was responding rather than reacting to our last session, to edit, and to read it out loud to others.

I felt highly judged by the manner with which you talked about my insurance coverage. The timing and tone of your repeated comments about “getting the most out of” my insurance while I don’t have co-pays (to help heal my Achilles and PCOS, as well as receive talk therapy for grieving my father and the PTSD I came to you for help with) felt hurtful. I was and am shocked that an emotional healthcare provider would indirectly shame someone for not being able to cover their medical bills due to their physical and emotional health, and so seeking insurance coverage that would help. I’m especially shocked at this happening during a global pandemic, and without prior knowledge of the jobs that person was working and how shutdowns impacted them.